Romeo and Julie
Romeo and Julie (ロメオとジュリー) is a gag work by Fujio Akatsuka and Fujio Pro, serialized in Gakken's Shonen Challenge magazine through 1980. Overview Romeo and Julie are two young people whose farmer fathers just so happen to hate each other and be at odds, while they themselves just so happen to love each other and want to defy their parents' ways. The two venture out into the city on orders to investigate some case of spoiled milk, and other events ensue from there. The "Romeo and Juliet"-inspired concept of young lovers going against their families had previously been attempted with Bukkare*Dan back in 1970, to where this work could be seen as another go at the idea but with more of the farm theme employed. Characters Romeo A tall boy who can't be swayed by the images of the pretty women his dad would rather him fantasize over, as Julie is his dream girl. It is shown that he personally sees her as beautiful, while the actually-attractive women appear as hideous beasts from his point of view. His conceptualization of beauty also extends to animals and inanimate objects; he cherishes smelly, decrepit farm animals over the actually healthy and attractive ones. The sight of animal feces also gets him enthusiastic, with him smelling them as if they were lovely flowers (yet hating actual flowers and seeing them worth less than waste). Julie A short, rather pig-faced but cheerful young girl who loves Romeo, but can't quite get why'd refuse to accept flowers from her even if he loves her, and doesn't understand his unusual taste in aesthetics. She's shown to be a bit mischievous when in the city, making fun of an old man's appearance but becoming upset when he hits her over it. Romeo's Father A tall, thin, and sharp-dressed man with a mustache and a most sinister impression. In some ways visually, he is reminiscent of Ai's father from Bukkare*Dan. He cannot get what his son sees in such an ugly girl like Julie and gets a doctor to examine his mind, only to find that his son's concepts of "pretty" and "ugly" are absolutely the opposite. Julie's Father A short, plump and pig-like man with a pig nose. It is shown that his wife was practically a pig herself, which lead to his daughter's unusual appearance. He's an overprotective and demanding sort of man as well, not wanting his daughter to ever go seeing or speaking of Romeo. He attempts to disguise himself as his daughter to try to break Romeo's obsession with her, but it backfires nonetheless. Borosuke A gross, smelly cow that Romeo visualizes as being absurdly handsome and smelling of fresh roses. He rides on this cow as if he's his most trusty horse. Borosuke is shown to lust after human women while out in the city, but not have luck in gaining their appreciation back. In the final chapter, he falls in love with the "Mold Princess" who spawned from moldy food and mutilates himself to give her gifts, eventually riding off with her. Serialization * Shonen Challenge: January to June 1980 Chapters: * 1. Encounter of Destiny (運命の出会い) * 2. Crystalline Lens (迷路になってる水晶体) * 3. Invitation from the City (都会からの招待状) * 4. Newlywed Life (新婚生活) * 5. Other than Romeo (ロメオの他変わり) * 6. I Love Borosuke (ポロ助恋をする) Reprints * Shogakukan: Digitized as part of the Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works DVD-ROM set, and put in the print-on-demand collection through ComicPark * eBookJapan: 1 volume External Links Category:Manga Category:1980s works Category:Works serialized in Shonen Challenge Category:Gag works